Cambridge Essays on Education eBook

The idea of the regional or local survey is gaining
ground and in some respects it will prove to serve
the same purpose as the “Community Civics”
of the American high school.

There have been attempts to introduce economics into
the secondary school curriculum, but they have not
persisted to any extent. In the Memorandum
of Curricula of Secondary Schools issued by the
Board of Education in 1913, it is suggested that “it
will sometimes be desirable to provide, for those
who propose on leaving school to enter business, a
special commercial course with special study of the
more technical side of economic theory and some study
of political and constitutional history.”
For the rest there is no mention of the subjects intimately
connected with government. It is clear that the
Board expects that out of the subjects of the ordinary
curriculum, with such special efforts suggested by
public interest as may from time to time occur, the
student will gain a general knowledge of the affairs
of the community round about, some knowledge of the
principles of politics, clear ideas concerning movements
for social reform, and some acquaintance with international
problems. If he does so, he will have secured
a useful introduction to the studies associated with
adult life.

An intelligent study of languages will help materially
in this direction and, whilst this is specially true
in the cases of Greek and Latin, there is no reason
why modern languages should not serve the same purpose.
It is, however, often the case that the study of the
history and institutions of modern countries is not
associated sufficiently with the study of their language.

The public and grammar schools of England, as contrasted
with the newer secondary schools, are more especially
the homes of classical studies, and it is through
the working of these schools that the knowledge of
institutions in ancient Greece and Rome will have its
greatest effect on citizenship.

The study of political science as a specific subject
is gaining ground in universities, whilst the study
of the Empire and its institutions has naturally made
rapid progress during the last few years. There
may also be noted distinct tendencies, arising out
of the experience of the war, towards the foundation
of schools destined to deal with the institutions
and the thought of foreign countries. In the schools
of economics and history there is fulness of attempt
to study all that can be included under the generic
title of civics which, after all, may be defined as
political and social science interpreted in immediate
and practical ways.

[Footnote 1: Peabody, The Religion of an Educated
Man.]

[Footnote 2: Haines, The Teaching of Government.]

[Footnote 3: Haines, The Teaching of Government.]

[Footnote 4: Bourne, The Teaching of History
and Civics in the Elementary and the Secondary School.]